'UK is ready for game streaming'

Britain’s broadband is more than capable of offering on-demand gaming, MCV has been told.

UK regulator Ofcom and games streaming specialist OnLive believe the roll out of fibre optic broadband has opened up streaming to more gamers than ever.

It follows the announcement of PlayStation Now at CES last week. Sony’s new streaming service lets gamers play PS3 titles on PS4, Vita, TVs, tablets and other ‘connected devices’. Sony says it requires a broadband speed of 5mb for a ‘good experience’.

However, Netflix says the UK’s average broadband speed is just 2.48Mbps, but Ofcom rejects that claim.

“In May 2013, the UK average peak-time download speed was 14.2Mbps,” an Ofcom spokesperson told MCV.

“Our panel is selected so it is representative of the UK population as a whole and our test results are weighted to make them fully representative.”

PC streaming firm OnLive acknowledges not everyone can manage streaming, but says acceptance is growing and the number of consumers with good broadband speeds is rising all the time.

“Back when Onlive was first announced, there was scepticism around whether game streaming could even work,” said OnLive’s general manager Bruce Grove.

“We will always be dependent on network infrastructure and broadband speeds being able to support the platform.”

“Not everyone has the infrastructure, but clearly many people now do. Over the last few years we’ve seen increased fibre deployments and people now routinely have 20Mbps, many can get 100Mbps

or greater.

“Sony has clearly seen the importance of game streaming as one of the ways players will want to access gaming libraries, and that in itself is an important validation of this sector.”

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.